Player-piano mechanism.



F. R. GOOLMAN.

J PLAYER PIANO MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2. 1914.

Patented June 20, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

1 I 1 .F-wrz. @00/070'W\ F. R. GOOLMAN.

PLAYER PIANO MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED MAY 2, I9I4. 1,1 87,901. Patented June 20, 1916'.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2- .IIIIIIIIII Him Fain. 600/11? 0/) F. R. GOOLMAN.

' PLAYER PIANO MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2, I914. 20,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- nuentoz 6 4! Cioolman Em jay ZMZM 7 FRED R. GOOLMAN, BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK.

PLAYER-PIANO MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 20. 1916.

Application filed May 2, 1914. Serial No. 835,896.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED R. GooL uAN, a citizen of .the United States, residing at Binghamton, in the county of Broome and State of New York, have invented certain its object to provide a device of this char acter which embodies novel features of construction whereby a continuous perforated music sheet may be employed and played repeatedly without the necessity of rewinding the same.

A further object of the invention is to provide a player piano mechanism which includes novel means for adjusting the duct bridge and feed mechanism so as to obtain a perfect tracking of the music sheet over the duct bridge.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a player piano mechanism which will operate eflectively in connection with an endless perforated music sheet, the said music sheet being received in a loosely folded condition within a trough or receptacle and novel means being provided for obtaining a perfect feed of the music sheet to the duct bridge without danger of the loosely folded portion of the music sheet being brought between the rolls so as to choke the same and hinder the operation of the device.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a player piano mechanism which may be employed in connection with an unusually narrow music sheet, thereby enabling the mechanism to be constructed with smaller dimensions and to occupy much less space than would be required were the standard width of music sheet necessary.

YVith these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel combinations and arrangements of the parts as will more fully appear as the description procoeds, the novel features thereof being point ed out in the appended .claims.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had tothe following description and accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of the continuous music sheet player piano mechanism, the side of the trough being removed. Fig.2 is an enlarged side elevation ofthe ductbridge and feed rolls, together with the mountings therefor. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the same, portions of the trough being broken away. Fig. 4c is a transverse sectional view through the device, looking in the direction of the duct bridge and feed rolls. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view through the duct bridge and feed rolls, the duct bridge being shown in operative position by full lines, and as swung upwardly into an inoperative position by dotted lines. Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view showing the movable bearing at onev end of the idler roller. Fig. 7 is a detail view of the retaining plate for the idler roller, and Fig. 8 is a detail sectional View of the duct bridge. Fig. 9 is a transverse sectional view through the shaft and sleeve which carries the duct bridge, showing the set screw for locking the sleeve against rotation on the shaft.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

Specifically describing the present embodiment of the invention, the numeral 1 designates a base board which is supported in some suitable manner upon a ledge or shelf 2 of the piano A. An elongated trough or receptacle 3 is mounted upon the base 1, the width of the trough being just a trifle greater than the width of the perforated music sheet f so that the said music sheet can collect within the trough in a loosely folded condition. The two ends of the trough 3 are inclined as indicated at 3 and 3 respectively, the forward inclined end 3 leading up to the feed rolls, while the rear inclined end 3 leads up to the separator bar 5 around which the music sheet 4: passes before being carried across the top of the trough 3 to the duct bridge and feed mechanism therefor. The rear side 8 of the trough 3 is rigid with the ends and bottom of the trough, while the forward side 3 is removable, being held in position by any suitable means such as they fastening members 6. The separator bar 5 may be permanently connected to the rear side 3 of the trough, although there is no positive connection between the said sepa rator bar and the removable side 3 of the trough. It will thus be obvious that this forward side 3 of the trough may be removed at any time for the purpose of obtaining access to the mechanism or for the purpose of substituting a new music sheet for the old music sheet.

The duct bridge 7 and feed rolls 8 and 9 are arranged at the forward end of the trough 3 and are shown in the present instance as supported by an upright standard 10, the base of the standard beingprovided with the feet 11 which are secured to the base 1. The upper feed roll 8 and lower feed roll 9 are j ournaled between the standard 10 and a bearing plate 12 which is carried by the outer end of a. rod or arm 13 projecting from the standard. Both of the feed rolls are provided with the end flanges 14 which engage the edges of the perforated music sheet 4 to secure a perfect tracking of the music sheet over the duct bridge after the parts have once been properly adjusted. Adjusting screws 15 are threaded in the standard 10 and bearing plate 12 so as to engage the ends of the trunnions 8 of the upper feed roll 8. By means of these adjusting screws the upper feed roll 8 may be adjusted longitudinally as may be required to obtain a proper tracking of the perforated music sheet. A similar adjusting screw 15 is also threaded in the bearing plate 12 for engaging with the trunnion 9 at the outer end of the lower feed roll 9. The adjusting screws 15 and 15 are shown as provided with suitable jam nuts 46 by means of which they can be prevented from working loose after the device has once been properly adjusted.

A shaft 16 projects from the inner end of the lower feed roll 9 through the standard 10, the end of the shaftbeing provided with a drive pulley 17 which may receive power from any suitable source such as the motor 18.

The duct bridge 7 has the extremities thereof secured to a pair of lateral arms 19 which project from a sleeve 20, the said sleeve being fitted loosely upon a shaft 21 which projects laterally from the standard 10. This sleeve 20 is provided towa-rd'opposite ends thereof with the clearance openings 22 which receive a pair of bearing arms 23 projecting downwardly from the shaft 21, the said bearing arms being connected by a shaft 24 upon which the frame of the pressure roller 25 is mounted. An intermediate portion of the sleeve 20 is also provided with a clearance opening 26 for the. set screw 27 and with a clearance opening 28 for a set screw 29. The set screw 27 extends through the shaft 21 and impinges against'the inner face of the sleeve 20 so that by tightening the set screw the sleeve andduct bridge may be clamped rigidly in position. However, by loosening the set screw 27 the sleeve 20 may be rotated upon the shaft 21 for the purpose of swinging the duct bridge away from the perforated music sheet or otherwise adjusting the position thereof. The set screw 29 engages the end of a spring 30 which tends to hold the pressure roller 25 in a yielding engagement with the lower feed roll 9. The pressure roller 25 is journaled between a pair of arms 31 which are carried by the shaft or rod 24, the said arms being connected at an intermediate point in their length by means of a spring strip 32 which is engaged at the middle portion thereof by the spring 30. This spring 30 is suitably crimped so as to clear the shaft 24, and when the set screw 29 is in the position shown in Fig. 5, that is, tightened up, the said spring exerts a yielding supporting pressure on the spring rod 32 to thereby cause the roll 25 to yieldingly bear against the lower feed roll 9. hen the screw 29 is loosened to a. relatively small degree, the force with which 25 bears against 9 is some what lessened owing to the fact that 30 and 32 permit of a considerable amount of compression as they are both resilient. However, when the screw 29 is loosened to a relatively large degree the spring 30 will merely sag and allow the roll 25 to fall away from the roll 9.

The outer end of the sleeve 20 has a swiveled connection with an adjusting screw 33 which is threaded in the end of the shaft 21. By means of this adjusting screw the sleeve can be moved longitudinally upon the shaft 21 so as to shift the duct bridge longitudinally with respect to the perforated music sheet. It will thus be obvious that both the duct bridge and the feed rolls are susceptible of a longitudinal adjustment for the purpose of obtaining a perfect registry of the perforations of the music sheet with the ports of the duct bridge. The duct bridge is also mounted so that it can be swung toward or away from the music sheet and clamped in any desired position for obtaining the best results.

The music sheet 1 is caused to pass under an idler roller 34: before being brought into engagement with the upper feed roll 8, one end of the said idler roller being journaled within an adjustable bearing block 35 which is slidably mounted upon the standard 10, while the opposite end of the idler roller is journaled within a suitable finger 12 projecting from the bearing plate 12. The bearing block 35 is engaged by an adjusting screw 36 which has a swiveled connection with the bracket 37. It will thus be observed that one end of the idler roller 34 is fixed while the opposite end thereof may be raised and lowered through the medium of theadjusting screw 36so as to set the same in a proper position for obtaining an even feed of the music sheet to the upper a not lit y flanged feed roll 8. Provision is made for the complete removal of the idler roller 34, and for this purpose a retaining plate 38 is applied to the back of the standard 10 and pivoted thereto at 39, the said retaining plate normally fitting against the rear face of the adjustable bearing block 35 so as to engage the extremity of the trunnion upon the idler roller 34 and retain the said idler roller against longitudinal movement. However, when the retaining plate 38 is swung upwardly so as to uncover the bearing opening of the block 35, the idler roller 34 may be moved inwardly until the outer end thereof is disengaged from the finger 12 of the plate 12 and then completely removed from the device. This retaining plate 38 is shown as provided at the swinging end with a stop flange 41 which is adapted to engage the top of the standard 10 to limit the downward swinging movement of the retaining plate.

The usual tubes 42 lead from the duct bridge 7 to the pneumatics of the player mechanism, and a booster 43 similar to that shown and described in my co-pending application Serial No. 740,418, filed January 6, 1913, may be interposed between the duct bridge and the pneumatics. The duct bridge 7 is much shorter in length than the standard duct bridge owing to the fact that a narrower music sheet'is employed. In order to make provision for the full eighty-eight notes upon the music sheet the perforations therein are necessarily very narrow and the parts of the duct bridge are correspondingly small. In order to overcome the great difficulty which would be incident to applying the nipples 7 to the duct bridge'in the usual manner, that is by soldering them to the inner face of the duct bridge so that the openings thereof register with the ports of the duct bridge, a new manner of constructing the duct bridge has been devised. By reference to Fig. 8, it will be observed that the duct bridge is formed with a c011- tinuous longitudinal slot 44 and that the ends of the nipples 7 are swaged and fitted within the slot side by'side and in direct contact with each other, the parts being securely soldered or otherwise fastened together. This eliminates the necessity for forming the eighty-eight independent openings in the duct bridge, which would be a very expensive and diflicult operation where the ports are of such a small area and located so closely together.

In the operation of the device, the endless music sheet 4 is placed in position so that the body portion thereof is loosely received within the trough 3 in the form of a series of agglomerated folds. At the rear end of the trough the music sheet passes around the separator bar 5, the function of this bar being to separate the agglomerated folds of the music sheet so as to prevent the said folds from reaching the feed rolls. From the separator bar-5 the music sheet is carried across the top of the trough in anunsupported condition, passed under the idler roller 34 and around the two feed rolls 8 and 9. The separator bar 5 produces a sufiicient amount of tension in the music sheet to eliminate the necessity for any support for the portion of the music sheet between the idler roller and the separator bar, while the idler roller 34 is dis posed at a lower elevation than the upper feed roll 8 so that the music sheet will alwaysbe caused' to pass accurately around the feed roll 8 between the end flanges 14 thereof. As the perforated music sheet 4 is drawn over the duct bridge 7, the usual pneumatics are operated to actuate the piano mechanism, and from the lower feed roll 9 the music sheet is deposited in the-trough 3 where it collects in a series of loose folds. If desired, a suitable guide member 45 may be provided for receiving the music from the lower feed roll 9 and carrying it to the inclined forward end 3 of the trough 3. As previously mentioned, both the duct bridge and feed rolls can be adjusted longitudinally to provide for an accurate registry of the perforations of the music sheet with the ports of the duct bridge, and the duct bridge can be moved toward and away from the music sheet and clamped in any desired adjuste'd position; The music sheet may contain a single tune or a number of tunes, and as long as the mechanism is in operation the music sheet will be fed continuously to the feed rolls and duct bridge without any necessity for ever rewindingthe same.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is V 1. A player piano mechanism including a trough, an endless"perforated music sheet adapted to collect in the trough in a series of loose folds, a duct bridge at one end of said trough, a separator bar arranged at the end of the trough and opposite the duct bridge, guide means for feeding the perforated music sheet to the duct bridge, the said perforated music sheet being drawn over the separator bar and across the series of loose foldsof the sheet within the trough before being fed to the ductbridge.

2. A player piano mechanism including a trough provided with a removable side, an endless perforated music sheet adapted to collect in the trough in a series of loose folds, a separator bar arranged at one end of the trough and supported independently of the removable side thereof, a duct bridge at the opposite end of the trough, and guide means for feeding the perforated music sheet to the duct bridge, the perforated music sheet being drawn around the sepa rator bar and carried across the top of the trough preparatory to being fed to the duct bridge.

3. A player piano mechanism including a- I first guide roll, and manually controlled means for adjusting the inclination of the idler.

4. A player piano mechanism including a,

duct bridge, guide rolls for feeding a per forated music sheet to the duct bridge, means for longitudinally, adjusting the guide rolls, an idler roller engaging the music sheet before it reaches the firstguide roll, and a slidable block receiving one end of the idler for adjusting the inclination thereof.

5. A player piano mechanism including a duct bridge, guide rolls for feeding a per-- forated music sheet to the duct bridge, an

idler engaging the music sheet before it reaches the first guide roll, fixed and movable bearings for the opposite ends of the idler, and an adjusting screwengaging the movable bearing for adjusting the inclination of the idler.

6. A player piano mechanism including a duct bridge, guide means for feeding a perforated music sheet to the duct bridge,

means for adjustingtheduct bridge toward and away from the music sheet, and independent means for adjusting the duct bridge transversely with respect to themusic sheet.

7 A playerpiano mechanism including'a support, a shaft upon the support, a sleeve loose upon the shaft, a swinging duct bridge carried by the sleeve, means for locking the duct bridge in an adjusted position, and means for feeding a perforated music sheet to the duct bridge.

8. A player piano mechanism including a support, a shaft carried by the support, asleeve loose upon the shaft, a swinging duct bridge carried by the sleeve, guide means for feeding a perforated music sheet to the duct bridge, the said duct bridge being adaptedto be swung toward and away from the perforated music sheet, means for moving the sleeve longitudinally upon the shaft to adjust the duct bridge transversely of the music sheet, and-means for locking the duct bridge in an adjusted position.

9. A player piano mechanismincluding a support, a shaft carried by the support, a sleeve loose'upon the shaft, a swinging duct bridge carried by the sleeve, guide means for feeding a-perforated music sheet to the duct bridge, the said duct bridge beingadapted to be swung towardand away from the music sheet, a set screw engaging the sleeve to prevent: rotation thereof on the shaft, and'an adjusting-screw engaging the end of the shaft and the endof the sleeve.

for moving the sleeve longitudinally upon the shaft to adjust the duct bridge transversely with respect to the music sheet.

10. A playerpiano mechanism including a support, ,a shaft carried by the support, a sleeve loose upon the shaft, a swinging duct bridge carriedby the sleeve, guide rolls for feeding a perforated music sheet to the duct bridge, the said duct bridge being adapted to be swung toward and away from the music sheet, means for locking the duct bridge in an adjusted position, a pressure roller for clamping the music sheet against one of the feed rolls, and an idler engaging the music sheet before it reaches the opposite end roll.

11. A player piano mechanism including a support, a shaft carried by the support, a

sleeve loose upon the shaft, a swinging duct.

feeding a perforated music sheet to the duct.

bridge, the said duct bridge being adapted tobe swung toward and away from the music sheet, means for clamping theduct bridge in an adjusted position, a swinging frame carried-by the shaft, a pressure roller mounted upon the swinging frame and adapted to clamp the music sheet against one of the feed rolls, a springengaging the frame, and'an adjusting screw securing the end of the spring tothe shaft.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature inthe presence of two witnesses.

FRED R. GOOLMAN.

\Vitnesses:

LAVERNE M. TWINING, EMORY L. GEOFF.

c au at this .petentimq be obtained to; he cents each, by, ltmffllll l; the commissioner errata". Iuhhaton, 1L0.

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